Adaptive Whisking in Mice.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Sensory-motor systems
• Animal behavior

Background:

• Rodents use rhythmic whisking (5-10 Hz) for environmental exploration, controlled by a brain stem central pattern generator.
• Whisking behavior is recognized as adaptable and goal-oriented, but systematic investigation of this adaptation is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically investigate goal-oriented adaptation in mouse whisking behavior.
• To establish a task where mice modify whisking trajectories for rewards without tactile feedback.
• To analyze the sensorimotor adjustments underlying behavioral adaptation.

Main Methods:

• Developed a virtual whisking task where mice adjusted whisking trajectories to reach targets for rewards.
• Manipulated target distance based on reward history to elicit adaptive whisking patterns.
• Utilized small lesions in the rhythmic whisking (RW) subfield of the motor cortex to assess its role in motor commands.

Main Results:

• Mice successfully adapted whisking trajectories in a goal-oriented manner to maintain reward probability.
• Behavioral adaptation was achieved by altering whisker kinematics, specifically increasing velocity for more distant targets.
• Contralateral RW lesions induced a delayed deterioration of whisking kinematics (12 days post-lesion), distinct from adaptive changes.

Conclusions:

• Mice demonstrate sophisticated sensorimotor adaptation in whisking, adjusting kinematics based on reward-driven goals.
• The rhythmic whisking subfield of the motor cortex plays a crucial role in controlling whisking kinematics, with lesions impacting movement over time.
• The established task effectively distinguishes between adaptive motor learning and lesion-induced kinematic deficits.